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murky

adjective

ˈmər-kē How to pronounce murky (audio)
Definition of murkynext
1
as in darkened
being without light or without much light I didn't like walking around the murky campground without a flashlight

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2
as in dark
causing or marked by an atmosphere lacking in cheer the murky shadows of the cemetery

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3
as in hazy
filled with or dimmed by fine particles (as of dust or water) in suspension skies made murky from the smoke of forest fires that were many miles to the west

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4
as in ambiguous
having an often intentionally veiled or uncertain meaning a murky reply to a question about his intentions

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5
as in vague
not seen or understood clearly a gubernatorial candidate with a murky position on the hot-button issue of capital punishment

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of murky Orders can be equivocal, statements ambiguous, instructions murky. — Literary Hub, 18 Sep. 2026 Dick’s Sporting Goods, along with subsidiary Foot Locker, face a murky outlook for the rest of this year after lower-than-expected recent earnings reports and cut forecasts for the rest of the year. — Justin Birnbaum, Sportico.com, 18 Sep. 2026 Surgery remains possible, which makes the timetable even murkier. — Eddie Brown, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Sep. 2026 Amid rising geopolitical tensions and a murky economic outlook, anxiety is clocking into work, producing false positives in productivity that look like engagement, but are actually a precursor to costly attrition and reputation loss. — Stacey Zolt Hara, Fortune, 14 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for murky
Recent Examples of Synonyms for murky
  1. darkened
  2. dark
  3. hazy
  4. ambiguous
  5. vague
  6. bleak
  7. misty
  8. cryptic
Adjective
  • Around them stand darkened houses, and uncollected trash piles up on the street.
    — Will Freeman, Foreign Affairs, 17 Sep. 2026
  • This trend has been pretty pervasive among designer bags recently, with shoppers buying new Prada and Chanel bags with darkened leather to give them a used look, or sourcing vintage Celine bags with obvious signs of wear.
    — Irene Richardson, InStyle, 2 July 2026
Definition of darkened
Adjective
  • Beaches emptied out and dark clouds swirled above choppy seas, while Mexican authorities temporarily suspended classes in a number of areas on Tuesday.
    — DESIREE BROOKS, Arkansas Online, 23 Sep. 2026
  • Set against these dark parts of the educational system, Lee convincingly casts hagwons as third spaces that advance the hopes of an entire community.
    — Sanjena Sathian, Vulture, 22 Sep. 2026
Definition of dark
Adjective
  • That entails having reachable but firm and clear expectations that both students and teachers can strive towards, not hazy objectives.
    — New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 20 Sep. 2026
  • Ride Lonesome is amorphous, hazy, dappled, and almost impossibly pretty.
    — Jon Dolan, Rolling Stone, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of hazy
Adjective
  • The diabolical is ambiguous and often frankly sexy; the ridiculous is not.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 18 Sep. 2026
  • Others require deep intelligence—analyzing complex financial information, generating code from ambiguous requirements or weighing competing factors.
    — Nitin Gupta, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of ambiguous
Adjective
  • The lawsuit demands a trial by jury and deems the decorum policy overly broad and vague.
    — Rachel Royster, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 22 Sep. 2026
  • The segment is naggingly vague with both of them showing love for Ye in spite of unlisted flaws.
    — Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 22 Sep. 2026
Definition of vague
Adjective
  • Tonally, the film is torn between wanting to be brutally bleak and offering some kind of hope for Murphy and his precocious, adorable daughter.
    — Katie Walsh, Los Angeles Times, 18 Sep. 2026
  • Max was born in 1937 in Berlin to German-Jewish parents who fled the city from the occupation of Nazis in 1938 to Shanghai, where the artist discovered bright colors, a stark contrast from his parents’ bleak past.
    — Hikmat Mohammed, ARTnews.com, 17 Sep. 2026
Definition of bleak
Adjective
  • At Emporio Armani, models walked the runway in gossamer-thin tanks and misty trousers that toed the line between lavender and blue.
    — Ariel Wodarcyk, InStyle, 22 June 2026
  • Base yourself in Cerro Verde or Lago de Coatepeque for crater views and misty mornings above the clouds, then climb Santa Ana Volcano.
    — Angelika Pokovba, Travel + Leisure, 26 May 2026
Definition of misty
Adjective
  • Seven months on, no one has been charged and, publicly at least, police seem no closer to solving what’s become one of Australia’s most cryptic missing-person cases.
    — Hilary Whiteman, CNN Money, 20 Sep. 2026
  • Also at the 2026 Emmys, Roach shared cryptic comments about the marital status of his longtime client Zendaya and her partner, Tom Holland.
    — Catherine Santino, PEOPLE, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of cryptic

Browse Nearby Words

murks
murky
murmur
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Cite this Entry

“Murky.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/murky. Accessed 26 Sep. 2026.

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